An MPhil/PhD is an advanced postgraduate research degree that requires original research and the submission of a substantial dissertation of 60,000 to 100,000 words. Housed within Birkbeck's School of Law, the Department of Criminology provides an exciting research environment in which to pursue critical criminological scholarship at MPhil/PhD level. We offer an interdisciplinary perspective, drawing from social theory, philosophy, gender and sexuality studies, cultural studies, criminal justice, security and prison studies. We will provide a rigorous yet supportive environment to carry out theoretical or applied research in the broad area of criminology, but we encourage innovative interdisciplinary work.

At Birkbeck, you are initially registered on an MPhil and you upgrade to a PhD after satisfactory progress in the first year or two. You need to find a suitable academic supervisor at Birkbeck, who can offer the requisite expertise to guide and support you through your research.

Those students on the ESRC-funded programme who don’t have existing methodological training will be required to complete an MRes in Year 1. The MRes Criminology is offered by the Department of Criminology in collaboration with the Department of Politics.

Research students in the School of Law are an important part of our research culture. We have succeeded in recruiting very high-quality research students and the number of UK and overseas PhD students has increased fivefold since 2001. This reflects the School's growing reputation as a training ground for early-career academics working from critical and socio-legal perspectives.

We are among the top 10 law schools in the UK and in the top three in London in the Times Higher Education 2014 REF rankings, while our research environment was judged conducive to producing research of the highest quality.

In-house seminars, the Bloomsbury Postgraduate Skills Network and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Interdisciplinary Research Training Network provide additional training. Students have received awards from the AHRC, British Academy, Overseas Research Students Awards, ESRC, Natural Environment Research Council and internal Birkbeck and Law School Studentships.

Reading groups are encouraged, and there is an informal doctoral 'work-in-progress group' open to staff and research students, allowing the latter to develop their presentation skills and invite general comment on projects. There are a number of other events designed to support research students. Additionally, an annual postgraduate conference is held to showcase current doctoral research. The upgrade viva examination, whereby students progress from MPhil to PhD registration, gives students experience of a more formal arena in which they have to defend their work to academic staff.

Entry requirements

Good honours degree in law or a related discipline from the humanities or social sciences.

International entry requirements

If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this programme is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 7.0, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.

Visa requirements

If you are not from the European Economic Area (EEA) and/or Switzerland and you are coming to study in the UK, you may need to apply for a visa.

The visa you apply for varies according to the length of your course:

Courses of more than six months’ duration.

Courses of less than six months’ duration.

Pre-sessional English language courses.

International students who require a Tier 4 visa should apply for our three-year evening study BA/BSc/LLB degrees, as these are classified as full-time study and qualify for student visa status. If you are living in the UK on a Tier 4 visa, you will not be eligible to enrol as a student on Birkbeck’s part-time evening study degrees.

The School of Social Science, History and Philosophy attracts funding for studentships that ensure researchers of the highest standard can pursue their research with us. We offer a limited number of fully funded research opportunities.

Our Research Culture

The School of Law is an internationally recognised centre for critical and interdisciplinary legal research. It provides an exciting and innovative environment for a wide range of research with a strong theoretical and policy focus. The School publishes Law and Critique: The International Journal of Critical Legal Thought. Read more about our research.

Study resources include an induction programme for all postgraduate students, which offers classes on methodology, and regular research seminars, workshops and conferences.

Birkbeck Library has an extensive collection of books, journals and electronic resources in law and related disciplines such as economics, politics and sociology. For example, it provides access to over 17,000 electronic journals, which are available online 24 hours a day. You can also take advantage of the rich research collections nearby, including those of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Senate House Library, the British Library of Political and Economic Science (LSE Library) and the British Library.

How to apply

You apply directly to Birkbeck for this course.

With your application, you must include a research proposal of 300-1000 words that outlines the main themes of your proposed research project. Please include: a section addressing questions of methodology; an overview of the literature in the field; and a statement relating to the project's intended contribution to legal scholarship.

Application deadlines and interviews

You can apply throughout the year. If you wish to apply for funding, you will need to apply by certain deadlines, so consult the websites of relevant funding bodies for deadlines.